AM Sir’s Class Based Assignment on:

Interference
PH- 9836701641/9804557622

Formulas at a look:
Optical path = Refractive index of the medium × Geometrical path in the medium = ∑ 𝜇 𝑖 𝑙𝑖

∴ 𝜇1 sin 𝑖 = 𝜇 2 sin 𝑟 → 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥′ 𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐰.

2𝜋
𝑃ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 = × path difference
𝜆
∴ Resultant intensity during interference is

𝐼 = 𝑘(𝑎21 + 𝑎22 + 2𝑎1 𝑎2 cos 𝛿 )

Condition for maxima and minima:

Maxima: intensity will be maximum, when

cos 𝛿 = 1 𝑖. 𝑒. 𝛿 = ±2𝑛𝜋 [𝑛 = integers]

𝜆 𝜆
∴ path difference = ±2𝑛𝜋 × = 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓
2𝜋 2
Then, 𝐼 = 𝑰𝒎𝒂𝒙 = 𝒌( 𝒂𝟏 + 𝒂𝟐 )𝟐

Minima: Intensity will be minimum when cos 𝛿 = −1

𝑖. 𝑒. , 𝛿 = (2𝑛 ± 1) 𝜋
𝜆 𝜆
∴ Path defference = (2𝑛 ± 1)𝜋 × = 𝑜𝑑𝑑 𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓
2𝜋 2
Then, 𝐼 = 𝑰𝒎𝒊𝒏 = 𝒌(𝒂𝟏 ~𝒂𝟐 )𝟐
𝐷
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑛 − 𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑦𝑛 = ∆
2𝑑
𝑫
𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐭𝐡, 𝜷= 𝝀 [ D= distance between screen and slit;
𝟐𝒅

2d= 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠 ]

𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔:

𝟐𝒅 = 𝟐𝒂(𝝁 − 𝟏)𝜶 𝛼 = 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑖𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑚 in radian

a= distance between slit and biprism;

D=a+b where b= distance between screen and biprism

Also, 𝟐𝒅 = √ 𝒅𝟏 𝒅𝟐

AMRITENDU MONDAL/SEM2/PHY(H) 1
AM Sir’s Class Based Assignment on:
Interference
PH- 9836701641/9804557622

𝑻𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒎 ∶ (𝝁 − 𝟏)𝒕 = 𝒏𝝀

𝐷
Shift of fringe pattern 𝑋0 = (𝜇 − 1)𝑡
2𝑑

Wedge shaped film/ Parallel sided film:

Effective path difference between reflected rays is

∆= 2𝜇𝑡 cos(𝑟 − 𝛼 ) ± 𝜆⁄2

Since no phase change occurs between transmitted rays, path difference between transmitted rays is

∆= 2𝜇𝑡 cos(𝑟 − 𝛼 )

, 𝑡 = 𝛼𝑥𝑛 , where 𝑥𝑛 is distance of n-th order bright fringe from the apex of the film.
𝝀
𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐭𝐡 𝜷 = 𝑥𝑛+1 − 𝑥𝑛 =
𝟐∙𝝁∙𝜶

Non-reflecting coating: 2𝜇𝑡 = (2𝑛 ± 1) 𝜆⁄2

𝝀
∴𝒕= = 𝒕𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎
𝟒𝝁

Newton’s Rings:
𝜆
For Bright Ring 2𝑡 = (2𝑛 − 1) Diameter 𝑫𝒏 𝟐 = 𝟐(𝟐𝒏 − 𝟏)𝝀𝑹
2

𝜆
For dark Ring 2𝑡 = (2𝑛 ) Diameter 𝑫 𝒏 𝟐 = 𝟒𝒏𝝀𝑹
2

𝑫𝟐 𝟐
𝒏+𝒑 −𝑫𝒏
Unknown wavelength 𝝀 =
𝟒𝒑𝑹

AMRITENDU MONDAL/SEM2/PHY(H) 2
AM Sir’s Class Based Assignment on:
Interference
PH- 9836701641/9804557622

Problem Set -1
1.1. Distance between two points in a medium is 2 m. Optical path corresponding to this
distance is 3 m. Find out the velocity of light in that medium.
1.2. In an interference pattern formed by two coherent sources, the maximum and minimum of
the intensities are 9I0 and I0 respectively. Determine the intensities of the individual waves.
[ Ans: I0 and 4I0 ]
1.3. Two coherent sources of the same frequency have intensities I 0 and 2I0. What is the ratio of
maximum to minimum intensity in their interference pattern?
2
√2+1
[ Ans: ( ) ]
√2−1
1.4. In a Young’s double slit arrangement, if the distance between the centres of two slits is 0.6
mm and the separation between the two second order maxima of the interference pattern
produced on a screen at a distance 1.5 m from the source (slit) be 5.0 mm, find the
wavelength of light used in experiment.
[Ans: 5000 Amstrong]
1.5. Calculate the coherence time and spectral width 𝛥𝜆 for a quasi-monochromatic source of
mean wavelength 6438Å and coherence length 30 cm.

1.6. In a double slit interference pattern the 12th order maximum is observed at a point when
light of wavelength 𝜆1=6000Å is used. What order will be visible at the same point if the
source is now replaced by light of wavelength 𝜆2=4800Å?
[ Ans: 15 ]
1.7. A thin sheet of transparent material (𝜇=1.6) is placed in the path of one of the interfering
beams in a biprism experiment using light of wavelength 6000Å. The central fringe shifts to
a position originally occupied by 12 th bright fringe. Calculate the thickness of the sheet.
[ Ans: 12 micro metre ]
1.8. In a Fresnel biprism (base angle =2°, refractive index of the material of the prism 𝜇 =1.5)
experiment, fringes of width 0.2 mm are formed at a distance 1 metre from the biprism
illuminated with a monochromatic source of light placed 9 cm behind the prism. Find the
wavelength of the monochromatic source.
[Ans: 5746.7 Amstrong]
1.9. In an experiment with Fresnel’s biprism fringes for light of wavelength 5× 10−5 cm are
observed 0.2 mm apart at a distance of 172 cm from the prism. The prism is made of glass
of refractive index 1.5 and is 25 cm from the illuminated slit. Calculate the angle at the
vertex of the biprism.
[Ans: 1.15 degree]

AMRITENDU MONDAL/SEM2/PHY(H) 3
AM Sir’s Class Based Assignment on:
Interference
PH- 9836701641/9804557622

1.10. Show that fringe width of the interference pattern produced by Fresnel’s biprism is
𝑏 𝜆
expressed as 𝛽 = (1 + ) where a= distance between slit and biprism, b= distance
𝑎 2𝛼(𝑛−1)

between screen and biprism, 𝛼 =angle of biprism and n= Refractive index of the material of
the biprism.

1.11. A soap film of thickness 5.5× 10 −5 cm is viewed at an angle of 45°. Its index of refraction is
1.33. Find the wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum which will be absent from the
reflected light.
[ Ans: 6188, 4125 Amstrong ]
1.12. A soap film of refractive index 1.33 and of thickness 1.4 𝜇m is illuminated by white light and
an angle of 60°. The reflected light by it contains a dark band corresponding to a wavelength
of 5000Å. Determine the order of interference dark band.
[ Ans: 6]
1.13. Why a board source of light is necessary for observing colours in thin film? A water film
(n=1.33) in air is 3200Å thick. If it is illuminated with light at normal incidence what colour
will it appear to be in reflected light?
[Ans: Colour of 5674 Amstrong]
1.14. If a liquid of refractive index 𝜇 is introduced between the lens and the glass plate of
Newton’s ring expt, how will the radii change?

1.15. Newton’s rings are formed between a spherical lens surface and a glass plate. If the ninth
bright ring of green light (546.1nm) is 7.89mm in diameter, what is the radius of curvature
of the lens surface?
[ Ans: 3m ]
1.16. In the Newton’s rings arrangement if the incident light consists of two wavelengths 5890 Å
and 5896 Å, calculate the distance(from the point of contact) at which the rings will
disappear. The radius of curvature (R) of the convex surface of the lens being 300 cm.
[Ans: 2.945cm ]
1.17. In Newton’s ring experiment if the incident light consists of two close spectral wavelengths
𝜆 and 𝜆+𝛥𝜆 , obtain an expression for the distance (from the ‘point of contact’) at which the
rings will disappear, the radius of curvature of the convex surface of the lens being R cm.
1.18.

AMRITENDU MONDAL/SEM2/PHY(H) 4
AM Sir’s Class Based Assignment on:
Interference
PH- 9836701641/9804557622

Problem Set -2
1.19. In a Young's experiment the distance between the slits is 0.1 mm and the perpendicular
distance of the screen from the plane of the slits is 50 cm. Find the separation on the
screen between maxima for violet light (λ=400nm) and the red light (λ = 700 nm) in the
first order.
[ Ans: 1.5mm ]
1.20. Consider a double slit experiment with a light containing two wavelengths 450nm and
600nm. Find the least order at which a maximum of one wavelength falls exactly on a
minimum of the other.
[ Ans: 2 ]
1.21. Fringes produced in biprism experiment with monochromatic light of wavelength 600 nm.
If a thin plate of glass of refractive index 1.5 is placed normally in one of the interfering
beams, the central fringe is shifted to the position previously occupied by the 10th bright
fringe. Find the thickness of the film. [ Ans: 0.012mm ]

1.22. In a biprism experiment with a monochromatic light of wavelength 589nm the fringe
width is found to be 0.44 mm. When a thin film of mica is introduced in the path of one of
the interfering beams the central fringe shifts by 2.20 mm. Calculate thickness of the film
of mica whose refractive index is 1.59
[ Ans: 4.99 x 10-3 mm. ]
1.23. Determine the Refractive index of the material which must be deposited on Crown glass
(R.I=1.5) in order to produce anti reflecting device on air.
[Ans: 1.22 ]
1.24. Find the minimum thickness of anti reflection coating necessary for use on glass lens in air
at vacuum wavelength λ 0 =550nm. Refractive index of the material of the coating is 1.38
[ Ans: 99.6nm]
1.25. A parallel beam of light of wavelength 589nm is incident on a thin plate of glass of
refractive index 1.5 such that the angle of refraction is 60 degree. Calculate the smallest
thickness of the plate for which it appears dark on reflection.
[Ans: 3.93 x 10-4]
1.26. Light of wavelength 600nm falls normally on a thin wedge shaped film of R.I =1.4
forming fringes that are 2mm apart. Find the angle of the wedge.
[ Ans: 1.07 x 10-4 radian ]

AMRITENDU MONDAL/SEM2/PHY(H) 5
AM Sir’s Class Based Assignment on:
Interference
PH- 9836701641/9804557622

1.27. An oil film (r.i. n = 1.2) on water (r.i. n = 1.33) is viewed from directly above with light of
wavelength 600 nm in air. The film appears circular and has a centre thickness 1 µm
decreasing to zero thickness at the edge. Explain whether the edge will appear bright or
dark. How many dark rings appear in the fringe? [ Ans: 4 ]

1.28. Newton’s rings are formed with a source of light containing two wavelengths λ 1 and λ2 . If
m-th order dark ring due to λ 1 coincides with the (m+1)th order dark ring due to λ 2 prove
𝜆 1 𝜆2 𝑅
that the radius of m-th order dark ring of λ1 is equal to √ where R is the radius of
𝜆 1 −𝜆 2

curvature of the lower curved surface.

1.29.
1.30.

AMRITENDU MONDAL/SEM2/PHY(H) 6